Fuel tank



T. R. ARDEN FUEL TANK Original Filed June 12, .1939

Patented May 11, 1943 T -E STATES I mien NT @E F l-rCE Original application June 12, 1939, Serial No.

278,772. I Divided and thisapplication Febru- *ary"27, 1942, Serial No. 432312 .5 Claims.

.struction to render availablefor use at any given time and forany given purpose, only a predetermined part otthe total amount of fuel contained therein, thereby to predetermine the time period of operationof-an engine or other-device supplied with fuel from the tank. In this connection the present fuel-tank isof special utility when used in iassociationuwith miniature internal combustion engines for the propulsion of miniature air, land or "water craft toreadily predetermine the amountof fuel that is available for operation of the. engine: and thereby predetermine the period of timethattheair, land or watercraft is driven under engine power.

-'Acc0rding1tothe invention, the present full tankis provided at its'bottom-with a well oflirnited capacity to be supplied-with fuelfrom the tank andifrom which fuel is supplied to mengine .orrotherlfuel operated device, and in this connectionaspecial object ofthe invention is to providenovel valve means for controlling supply of fuel .to.said.1w'ell from said tank and novel adjustable .meansito regulate the amount of fuel which vmay be delivered from said well to an engine or :other fuel operated device thereby to predetermine the time 'period 'of. operation of the engine-or otherdevice.

With the foregoing and other objects in View,

which will become more fully apparent asthe nature of the ainvention is better understood, the sameconsists in a fuel tank embodyingthe novel features; of construction, combination and arrangement' i'ofzpartsas will be hereinafter more fullyzdescribed; illustrated in the accompanying drawing and definedwin: the appended claims.

.In the accompanying drawing, wherein like characters .of .1 reference denote corresponding parts in the different views:

Figure 1 is a central, "vertical section through a fuel tank constructed in accordance with one practical embodiment of the invention and showing a status of the parts thereof denying communication between the tank proper and the well at the bottom thereof.

Figure 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing a status of the parts of the tank affording communication between the tank proper and the well v at the bottom thereof; and

Figure 3 is a cross section Fig.) 1.

In the'drawing the'present fuel tank is designated generally as T'and, asshown, said tank is provided with a vertically disposed'fuel delivery tube-'82 which extends through the top I 00 of said tank for connection at its upper end in any suitable orpreferred manner'with anengine or other :device,;a portionof which. is designated as' lil,.to be supplied with fuel.

The tubetzextends through .andris threaded in a s1eeve'92 which is disposed vertically in, the tank T, preferably centrally thereof, and-which :has itsupper'end portion extending through a central opening in. the tank top I08. At .it 'upper: end the-sleevevfiris provided with an outwardly extending flange '93, whi1e at a point within the tank T and suitably spaced below the flange 93 said sleeve is provided with a suitable stop-94. The tank'Tis vertically slidable'relative to. the sleeve '92; upward movement thereof being limited by engagement of:thetop I00 thereof with the flange 93 and downward movement thereof being limit'ed'by engagement ofthe top I 00 thereof with the stop'94.

Suitably secured tothe top of; the tank T is a U-shaped spring clip having apair of spring arms 95 disposed at opposite sides of" the sleeve :92. m'Ihese spring arms are-inclined upwardly and inwardly and are designed to cooperate with the 'flange' 93 to hold the tankT either ina raised position relative to the sleeve 92,,as illustratedin Figure 1, of the drawingnor inxa-lowered position relative to said sleeve as illustrated :in Figure 2 0f the drawing.

The bottom of the tank T is in the form of a well-'96 of smaller diameter .and of considerably lesser capacity than the tank proper. Communication between this .well and the tank proper is controlled by a valvell'l cooperating witha seat 98' constituted by an outwardly "directed' portion of the wall ofthe tank T at the top of the well 98. The valve9l iscarried by the lower end ofthe sleeve 92 and is designed-to engage the seat193 and to denycommunication between the tank proper and the well96 when the tankisatits upper limit of movement relative to the sleeve 92. On the other hand, when the tank is at its lower limit of movement relative to the sleeve 92, the seat 98 is spaced below the valve 91 and communication is established between the tank proper and the well 96. The valve 91 preferably is of cup-shape and has a portion thereof disposed constantly in the upper end portion of the well 96 to support the bottom portion of the on the line.3 T-3 of tank T against lateral movement relative t the sleeve 92. If the valve is of cup-shape its cup portion may have peripheral indentations 99 to afford communication between the well and the tank proper when the tank is in its lower position and the valve is open.

By threaded adjustment of the tube 82 relative to the sleeve 92 the lower end of said tube 82 may be caused to be spaced various different distances from the bottom of the well 96 when the tank T is in either its upper or lower position and the valve 91 is closed. If the adjustment in this respect is such that the lower end of the tube 82 is disposed near the bottom of the well 96 when the tank T is in its lower position and the valve 91 is open, practically all fuel that may be con tained in said tank is available for operation of the engine, since the fuel is free to flow from the tank proper into the well 96 and the supply to the engine ceases only when the fuel level drops to the bottom of the tube 82. On the other hand, when the tank T is in its upper position and the valve 91 is closed, only fuel that is contained in the well 96 is available for operation of the engine. Moreover, the amount of fuel contained in the well 96 that is available for operation of the engine depends upon the spacing of the lower end of the tube 82 from the bottom of said well when the tank is in its upper position, since the engine fuel supply will cease as soon as the level of the fuel in the well drops to the bottom of the tube 82. Any suitable scale means may be provided to indicate different spacings of the lower end of the tube 82 above the bottom of the well 96 when the tank T it in its upper position. Each such different spacing corresponds to a certain amount of fuel that is available for operation of the engine. A given amount of fuel will suflfice for operation of an engine or other device over a given period of time. Accordingly, the duration of any given period of operation of an engine or other device may be predetermined by relative longitudinal adjustment of the tube 82 and the sleeve 92 to cause the lower end of the tube to be disposed a certain distance above the bottom of the well 96 when the tank T is in its raised position and the valve 9'! is closed. In this connection it is understood, of course,'that prior to any given limited period of operation of an engine or other device the tank T first is lowered to permit the well 96 to be filled from the tank proper and then is raised to deny any further flow of fuel from the tank proper into said well.

. The tank T may be permanently closed at its top and may be provided in its top with a filling opening. Preferably, however, said tank is provided with a cap or cover I that is removable to afford access to the tank for filling, cleaning or other purposes. If a removable cap or cover is provided it may be secured in closed relationship to the top of the tank in any suitable manner, as, for example, by means of a bail lfll swingable beneath the well 96.

To vent the well 96, the tube 82 may be exteriorly longitudinally grooved or cut-away at one side as indicated at I02.

Without further description it is thought that the features and advantages of the invention will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and it will, of course, be understood that changes in the form, proportion and minor details of construction may be resorted to, without departing from the spirit of the invention and scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A fuel tank comprising a tank proper having a bottom compartment, valve means controlling flow of fuel from said tank proper into said bottom compartment, a vertical fuel outlet tube having its lower end disposed in said bottom compartment, and means for the vertical adjustment of said tube relative to said tank to dispose its lower end different distances from the bottom of said compartment.

2. A fuel tank comprising a tank proper having a bottom compartment, a valve for controlling flow of fuel from said tank proper into said bottom compartment, an internally threaded vertical sleeve disposed in the tank proper and carrying said valve and extending slidably through the top of the tank, cooperating means on the tank and said sleeve for holding the tank in an upper, valve-opened position and a lower, valve-closed position relative to said sleeve, and a fuel outlet outlet tube extending through said sleeve and having its lower end disposed in said compartment, said tube being threaded in said tube for vertical adjustment relative thereto to vary the spacing of its lower end from the bottom of said compartment.

3. A fuel tank comprising a tank proper having a bottom compartment, a vertical sleeve in said tank with respect to which said tank is vertically movable between raised and lowered positions, valve means carried by said sleeve to deny communication between the tank proper and said bottom compartment when the tank is in its raised position relative to said sleeve and to establish communication between said tank proper and said bottom compartment when said tank is in its lowered position relative to said sleeve, means to hold the tank in its raised and lowered positions relative to said sleeve, a fuel outlet tube extending through said sleeve for connection at its upper end with a device to be supplied with fuel, said tube having-its lower end disposed in said compartment, and means for supporting said tank upon said sleeve in different positions of vertical adjustment relative thereto in which the lower end of said tube is disposed difierent distances from the bottom of said bottom compartment.

4. A fuel tank as set forth in claim 3 including stop means on the sleeve engageable by a part of the tank to predetermine the lowered position of the tank relative to said sleeve, and spring clip means carried by the tank for cooperation with a part of said sleeve to hold the tank in its raised position relative to said sleeve.

5. A fuel tank as set forth in claim 3 in which the tube is formed to provide between the same and the sleeve a duct for venting the bottom compartment to the atmosphere.

THOMAS R. ARDEN. 

